La Duni Latin Kitchen - Fairview

Cyberspace: http://www.laduni.com/fairview

Grade: B
Where to Find It: The Village at Fairview Shopping Center, 233 Town Place, Fairview, Texas 75069
Food Group: Latin American

How Much to Fork Over: $$$
Faves: Margarihna Cocktail, Queso Verde, champagne, green orange-citrus and pan jus mojo on the Pollo Aljibe
Peeves: No Service on the Patio, slow to seat us

The Jibba Jab:

A Ladies Night is always a good idea when Spring has Sprung and the patio is calling your name.  A few of my lady friends and I wanted get together for just that, so we met up at La Duni in Fairview, but were a little upset when we were told that they weren’t serving outside.  We were welcome to order drinks at the bar and bring them outside, but they were understaffed that night, so we couldn’t eat out there.  We opted to have one cocktail on the patio and then we headed indoors for some food to fill our empty stomachs.  The manager told us to wait so they could put a table together for us, so we did…..and we waited……and waited.  No hostess was in sight, so other people were coming in, but leaving when no one would acknowledge them.  One of our ladies kept trying to find someone to seat us and finally an employee told us the place was full and we could wait at the bar for a table.  What?  We were a little irritated, but waited at the bar anyway.  Soon the hostess fetched us and lead us to a table in a very secluded area near the back of the restaurant….VIP seating she called it.  Normally, I would have thought whatever….VIP my behind, but they actually made up for the long wait, and treated us with supreme customer service.  One waiter in particular was very friendly and offered us a round of after dinner drinks, and we also received a complimentary bowl of Queso Verde, which is delicious by the way.  This is a prime example of how to make up for something that went wrong, which is quite common in the restaurant industry, but most of the time it can be easily fixed.  Our food came out immediately, we ate, we drank, we laughed and the rest of our time there went quite smoothly.  Leaving with our bellies full and quite happy, in the end, I want to thank La Duni for their great service!!

Pollo Aljibe

Queso Verde

Velvet Taco

Cyberspace: velvettaco.com

Grade: A
Where to Find It: 3012 N. Henderson Ave, Dallas, Texas 75206
Food Group: Tacos
How Much to Fork Over: $
Faves: Rotisserie Corn ‘Elote Style’, Mushroom Taco, Low Prices, Fast Service, Backdoor Chicken?
Peeves: Toss the lettuce wrap on the Mushroom Taco

The Jibba Jab:

Tantalizing and Tempt You Tacos….which may explain the Velvet part of the restaurant’s name or it could be because they serve Red Velvet Cake as it’s only dessert. Either way, I am a big fan of their tacos.  The giant menu posted on the wall upon entering the place just goes to show how creative chef Mark Brezinski who is from places like Pei Wei, Bengal Coast and Bistro Babusan, is with the unexpected combinations that constructs his 20 tacos. I’ve only tried 3 of, but can’t wait to try the rest.  I love that the menu offers 5 different proteins (Chicken, Pork, Beef, Fish, and Eggs) plus a Veg option for the base of your taco choosing.  I especially like that Velvet Taco isn’t afraid to add crazy things like Fried Paneer, Ahi Poke, and their tikka and raita crema to these tacos.  There are some surprising ingredients just in the 3 that I tried….onion chutney (1 of 2 chutneys they make), goat cheese, purple potatoes, and sunflower sprouts were in the #4 Wild Mushroom Taco, which was also wrapped in lettuce…..errrr….lettuce?  I understand the no-carb diet thing, but wasn’t that so 9 years ago?   This brings me to my only complaint…..I would have preferred a corn tortilla instead. It would have made it an actual taco and not a folded salad.  The #2 Rotisserie Chicken containing white queso, roast corn pico, cilantro and smoked poblano salsa more Taco normal, but then the #18 Applewood Bacon Egg consisting of cheddar potatoes, smoked chili butter and mustard greens was less suspecting.  All 3 were quite amazing, but my absolute favorite dish that we tried was the Rotisserie Corn ‘Elote Style’!  Now Elote is a staple Mexican street food that is basically grilled or boiled Corn on the Cob sprinkled with lime juice, slathered in Mayo and/or Crema (similar to sour cream) and then topped with grated Cotija Cheese or some sort other white Mexican cheese and chili powder.  At Velvet Taco they serve it a bit differently by first cutting the kernels off of the cob, and then they mix it with Queso Fresco, Asadero (another type of white cheese), Valentina hot sauce, crema and lime juice.  All of it is served in a cup with a spoon (or fork, which was on the other end).  In Mexico they would call this Esquites, but whatever it is its absolutamente frickin’ delicioso.  I couldn’t stop eating this stuff…..it was like corn ice cream.  Whatever you do, don’t miss out on the Rotisserie Corn!!!  Oh, and have a rita or cerveza with your meal too….that will put the experience over the top!

P.S. I want to try the Backdoor Chicken thing sometime.  What is it?  Well via Velvet Taco’s website:

‘Step 1, go to your favorite restaurant (Velvet Taco). Step 2, strut past the front door to the back. Step 3, knock on the backdoor and hand us $20 cash money money (no worries we're coming back). Step 4, wait a few minutes, the door will open and we will hand you a magical bag of delicious goodness including: A Whole Rotisserie Chicken, 2 Sides of Elote Style Rotisserie Corn, 6 Corn Tortillas, Roasted Corn Pico De Gallo and Korean BBQ Sauce.’

I also heard that on Mondays it’s only $10!

Rotisserie Corn 'Elote Style' and Margarita

Wild Mushroom Taco, Rotisserie Chicken Taco
and Applewood  Bacon Egg Taco